Tobacco-drier



(No Model.)

A. F. FORBIS.

TOBACCO DRIER. I

atented Mar. 9, 1886.

ml' l l l l l Ii WITNESSES INVENTOR i @fi' I BY ATTORNEYS.

llNiTEn STATES PATENT @rrrcE.

ARTHUR FRANK FORBIS, OF MOLEANSVILLE, NORTH OAROLIN A.

TOBACCO-DRIER.

' BPECIFICATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 337.677, dated March 9, 1886.

Application filed January 7, 1886. Serial No. 187,935. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it k now in that I, A RTI-IUR FRANK FORBIS, of McLeansville, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Curing Apparatus for Use in Tobacco-Barns, of which the following is a description.

Figure 1 isa front View of my barn Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section out above and looking down on the heating and ventilating appliances; and Fig. 4. is a detached view of a portion of the rear of the barn.

The object ofmy invention is to provide sirnple means by which to effectually regulate the admission of air to the barn and to temper said air to the desired degree as well as to discharge the admitted air at any suitable point and to regulate the heat and save fuel.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described.

In carrying out my invention I employ a barn, which may be of ordinary construction, having a gable roof, as usual, and provided with suitable poles on which to suspend the tobacco. The ridge A of the roof is secured at one end to the barn in suitable manner, so its opposite end may be raised to permit the air to escape from within the barn. This movable end is engaged by the upper end of a rod, B, which is usually and preferably secured to the ridge, as shown. The lower end of this operating-rod B extends in con venient reach from the ground and preferably through astaple, b. This stapleserves a double purpose. In the first place, it acts as a guide for the rod B when the ridgesection A is lowered, while it further serves as a rest for the lower end of such rod when the latter is adjusted to raise the ridge, as will be understood from dotted lines, Fig. 2. By this movable ridge piece or section ventilation is provided the full length of the barn and the poisonous vapors may be quickly and thoroughly discharged. The furnace G is located usually at the base and front end of the barn, and may be of ordinary construetion,of brick orstone,having an iron grate, door, and damper by which to regulate the intensity of combustion. From this furnace a flue,D, extends into the barn and close to the inner side of the rear wall thereof,

where it divides, forming branch flues d, which are disposed within the barn along the rearand sides of the casing and project out of and up in front of the barn in uptakes H, provided usually with bonnets h. A drum or confluent, G, is placed over the flue D within the barn. Into this dram lead pipes E F, each provided near its outer end with a valve by which to regulate or shut off the entrance of air. These pipes lead to the outer air and are preferably as shown, the former, E, over the line D and through the upper part of the for nace O, and the pipe F usually in a reverse direction.

The distributer I consists of a central portion or body fitted to rest reinovably over the drum or confluent and rotatable thereon, and one or more (preierablytwo) tubular branches or arms having openings to discharge the heated or cold air, as may be desired. By turning this distributer the heated or cold air may be directed and discharged at intervals under different portionsof tobacco. Obviously this distributer may be turned by hand by entering the barn; but it is preferred to operate it from without the barn. To this end I provide such distributer with a crank, J, to which I secure one end of a pitman or handle, j, the opposite end of which extends through and out of the casing, so that the distributer may be conveniently adjusted to any desired posit-ion without opening the barn.

The curing of tobacco embraces two steps or processes-the firstcommonly known as ye1- lowing, being the changing of color from green to yellow, and the second drying. The first stage usually requires from fifteen to twenty-five hours, the change of color resulting from the fermentation of the sap, which beginsnaturallyassoonasthetobaccoiscut,andis hastened by theincrease of heat incident to the use of the heating apparatus. As the end of this stage approaches, the sap is in a high state of fermentation and the barn is full of vapor. It has been the practice heretofore to admit cold air at this time at the base of the barn to expel the vapor. Such, however, is objectionable for the reason it results frequently in chilling the tobacco and checking fermentation,thereby destroying the delicate membrane known as the grain, greatly injuring the tobacco and consequently reducing its value.

IOC

Instead of admitting cold air at this state I provide the pipe E, by the use of which fresh air may be admitted in any suitable quantity, and being warmed by passage through the furnace and its proximity within the barn to flue D all chilling is avoided and the vapor may be gradually discharged and the accumulated moisture or condensation on the leaves dried off. When the yellowing is completed, both pipes E and F may be opened to furnish a large quantity of air to maintain what is known in the art as dry heat.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. In a tobacco-barn, the combination of a" furnace, a fiue extended therefrom into the barn, and an air-pipe having one end opening into the barn, and extended thence over the flue and through the furnace, opening at its opposite end into the external air, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tobacco-barn, the combination, with a furnace having a flue leading into the barn, a drum or confluent, an air-pipe leading into the drum, and a distributer adjustable rotarily on said drum,and having a lateral tubular arm, substantially as set forth.

3. In a tobacco barn, the combination, with an airsupply pipe, of a rotatable distributer communicating with the discharge end thereof and having a perforated tubular arm, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination,with the furnace and the rotatable air-distributer having a crank, of the pitman or. handle connected at one end with the crank, whereby the distributer maybe adjusted, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, substantially as herein described, of the furnace, a drum or confluent within the barn, the pipesE and F, communicating at their inner ends withsaid confluent, the pipe E being extended throughthe furnace, substantially as set forth.

6. In a tobacco-barn, the combination of the furnace having fiueD, branched as described, the rotarily-adjustable distributer having a lateral arm and the pipes E and F, substantiallyas set forth.

ARTHUR FRANK FORBIS.

\Vitnesscs:

W. L. KIRKMAN, JNo. H. DILLARD, J-R. 

